


Freaky Friday

by caseymac42



Category: Emergency!
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-08-14 09:18:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8007688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caseymac42/pseuds/caseymac42
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The title says it all...what strange things occur?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Freaky Friday

 

When Hank got up that Friday morning, he should have known that it was going to be a strange day…just how strange, he wouldn't know until later.

When the alarm on his clock went off, Hank got up and went about his usual morning routine. His wife Suzanne was downstairs preparing him breakfast.

After showering and getting dressed in his uniform, Hank looked in the bottom of his closet to get his work boots. Not only did he see his boots in the closet, but another pair of shoes…an old worn out favorite pair that he hadn't been able to find in several months, despite tearing his house apart looking for them.

Seeing the shoes in the closet, Hank was stunned.  
"I'll be damned. How…" he was absolutely speechless.  
Quickly putting his boots on, he grabbed his overnight bag and made his way down the stairs and to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Hank. Hungry?"

"Uh…yeah. Suzanne, I have a question for you…when did you find my shoes?"

"Your shoes?" his wife asked in confusion.

"Yeah…you know those old brown ones that I've been looking for, the last few months."

"I didn't find them. Maybe one of the kids did," she answered with a shrug and a small shake of her head.

Just then the Stanley's two teenaged children came downstairs to join their parents for breakfast.

"Hi Mom…hi Dad," fifteen year old Erin greeted her parents.

"Good morning, sweetie."

Their seventeen year old son Jason, merely grunted a semblance of a morning greeting.

"Hey guys…you know those old brown shoes that I've been looking for?"

Erin looked up and nodded. "Yeah…weren't they your favorite pair?"

"Yes. Well anyway…did either of you happen to find them?"

"I haven't." Erin shook her head.

"Jason?" Hank asked his son, hopeful of getting to the bottom of his shoes’ magical reappearance in his closet.

"Nope."

Erin noticed the confused look on her father's face.

"Why?"

"Why? Because they're in my closet. I saw them this morning. I've been looking for them forever…and I swear I tore that closet apart a million times."

#########################  
While Hank was trying to solve the mystery of the sudden reappearance of his missing shoes, Mike was getting ready for work at his apartment.

While waiting for the coffee to finish brewing, Mike had the radio on. Normally a rather reserved and laid back fellow, his preference for music was usually something mellow, along the lines of John Denver, James Taylor, and the Eagles. However, on this Friday morning, the song that started to play on the radio was KC and the Sunshine Band's "Get Down Tonight".

The normally in control engineer started to shimmy and shake, and sing to the music.

"Oh do a little dance, make a little love…get down tonight…get down tonight…"

Mike was in his glory, hopping and bopping to the music.

#################################  
At Johnny's apartment an unexpected windfall came his way.

With time to spare before he had to leave for work, he sat down at his kitchen table and started to go through the mail that he hadn't as yet gone through. Picking up the first envelope, Johnny looked at the front of it.  
The return address said, 1203 West Coral Drive…Coral Gables, Florida.

Reading the address, Johnny was stumped. He didn't know anyone in Florida, or so he thought.

Opening the envelope, there was a check for $3500 dollars. Also in the envelope was a letter.

Dear Johnny,  
How are you doing? I'm fine…business is booming. I'm sure that you are very surprised to hear from me after all these years. And you're probably wondering what that check is all about. Well…as I said, business is booming. Thanks to your great idea, I'm raking in the big bucks, and I just wanted to give you a token of my appreciation. It would be great to hear from you, so give me a call or write me one of these days. Take care of yourself, buddy.  
Sincerely,  
Brett Connors  
(239) 929-8212 

Johnny continued to stare at the check in his hand…he was in shock. Looking at his watch, he noticed the time.  
"7 AM, I gotta go. What to do with this check? Hmm…"

Deciding that he didn't have enough time to obsess about it, Johnny took the check, folded it up and put it in his wallet. When he got to the station, he would have Captain Stanley lock it up in his desk drawer for him.

##################################  
As Chet was leaving his apartment, his very attractive new next door neighbor greeted him very warmly.

"Good morning, Chet," the young woman said, smiling.

The firefighter looked at her with a slightly surprised expression, but smiled.  
"Hi there, Rachel."

"Hey, I'm really sorry about the other day. I wasn't very nice to you…and you were just trying to be a gentleman. I'd really like to make it up to you," she said with great sincerity.

"Well…I'm on my way to work now, but I do get off tomorrow morning."

"You get off tomorrow morning?" Rachel repeated with curiosity.

"Yeah…I'm an LA County Firefighter. I'm going on shift now. I really need to go, or I'll be late."

"Okay. Well, if you're not too busy tomorrow, and you don't hold anything against me…why don't you come over to my place for dinner? I'm actually a really good cook."

"Well…if you're offering…I accept," he said with a smile and a nod.

"Great. Why don't you come over around five…we'll have some wine and hors d'oevres, first…to get to know each other a little better before dinner. Have a safe shift…I'll be waiting for you."

Chet stood there stunned, not quite knowing what to do or say. Before he could turn away, Rachel planted a gentle kiss on his cheek.

##############################  
Marco hadn't been sleeping well for the past several days. But that night, from the time he noted his clock saying midnight, until the time his alarm clock went off…he had slept like a rock. For most of the night he had dreams about his beloved grandmother, Margarita. She had passed away several years earlier. Marco had been very close to his grandmother.

When he woke up he felt very refreshed, almost like he had made up for the lack of sleep that he had had the previous few days.

After showering and getting dressed, Marco walked over to his dresser to put on his watch. When he looked down at the top of the dresser, he noticed a set of crystal Rosary beads. Looking at them closely, he recognized them as having belonged to his grandmother. He stood slightly confused for a few moments…he could have sworn that she had been buried with them…or so he thought.

####################################  
But of all the guys on the crew, perhaps it was Roy who had the strangest thing happen to him. His mother-in-law, Ethel who had been staying with them all week, was in the kitchen enjoying her morning cup of coffee and English muffin.

Joanne was currently upstairs helping Chris and Jennifer to get ready for school. Roy had no choice but to go into the kitchen because he really craved a cup of coffee.

"Good morning, Roy," the older woman said cheerfully.

Roy looked curiously at her. She was actually smiling at him, and there was no hint of any negativity in her morning greeting.

"Good morning, Ethel. Enjoying your coffee?" Roy asked in a somewhat guarded tone.

"Yes, I am. Why don't you sit down and join me?" Ethel continued to smile at her son-in-law.

"I…I need to get going…to the station...but…I guess I can spare a few minutes."

Roy poured himself a cup of coffee and joined his mother-in-law at the table.  
Looking at Ethel, Roy couldn't believe that the woman was actually smiling at him. Even on his and Joanne's wedding day, he didn't remember her being this pleasant.

"Roy…there's a few things that I'd like to tell you. First of all…I think you're a wonderful father. The way you are with Chris and Jenny…it's such a joyous thing to see. And Joanne…I know she's so happy…and proud of you. I've been wrong all these years. You are a wonderful young man."

Roy nearly choked on his coffee when he heard those words come out of Ethel's mouth.  
"Uh…well, I'm…I'm speechless. What turned it around? I mean what did I do that made you change your mind?"

"I saw a news report on TV about a fire. They showed all these firefighters battling the fire, and a few men were carrying out some people. I started to think about you…and that friend of yours, John…John Gage. I thought about how difficult your job is…and I realized that I just was not giving you enough credit. So, I would like to say, 'I'm sorry.'"

Roy smiled in relief. It was nice to finally be accepted by Joanne's mother, but he was still in a bit of shock.  
"Well…apology accepted. I need to get going now, but I'll be home in the morning."

Ethel nodded her head. "Please stay safe…my daughter and grandchildren need their husband and father to come home."

"I will…thanks."

##############################  
At the station, which was empty due to the current shift being out on run, the first man to arrive was Mike Stoker. As Mike was getting ready he had his radio on in the locker room.

Chet and Johnny had arrived at the same time and were chatting out in the parking lot.

"Gage…you'd never believe what happened to me this morning," Chet said excitedly, still in shock over his change of fortunes with his new neighbor.

"Chester B…I don't quite think you'd believe what happened to me this morning, either."

"Okay…you first," the Irishman motioned to his friend.

"Well…you'd never believe what I have in my wallet."

"I'm in such a great mood right now…I won't even make a sarcastic comment. Tell me."

"A check…a check for $3500 dollars."

"$3500 dollars? What did you do to get that?" came the inevitable question.

"It's kind of a long story. I'll tell you inside, when the other guys get here. How about you, Chet? What's your good news?"

"Well…you remember that gorgeous woman I told you about…the one who moved into the apartment next to me?"

"Yeah…Rachel something."

"Yeah, that's the one…Rachel Conway. Well anyway, I was leaving my apartment this morning when she came over to me. She says hello to me and then apologizes for being rude to me the other day. Get this…she invited me over for dinner tomorrow…she wants to get to know me better." Chet continued to wear a big grin.

Johnny gave his friend a big Gage smile. "Way to go, Chet. Let's go in…share the good news with Mike."

The two men knew that the engineer was inside, as they saw his blue pick-up truck in the lot.

When they made their way inside the station, the rather loud strains of "The Hustle" were heard coming from the locker room. Pushing the door open, they saw their normally reserved engineer boogying to the music.

Looking up when his two friends entered the room, Mike smiled and continued to dance.

"Hi guys."

"How's it going, Mike?" Johnny asked somewhat cautiously.

"Terrific," Mike answered with a big grin. "You guys wanna join me?"

Before they could answer, Marco and Roy joined them.

"Hey Marco…Roy. Check this out."

Mike turned and demonstrated a few dance moves for the guys.

"What do ya think? I've been practicing all morning. KC and the Sunshine Band is the best…but this guy who plays 'The Hustle'…"

Roy smiled. "It's great, Mike…you're a regular Fred Astaire."

"Come on guys…don't just stand there…let go of your inhibitions…and just dance…it's fun."

The four other men all looked curiously at the dancing engineer.

"Mike, are you okay? You…you didn't hit your head or anything, did you?"

The engineer smiled back at the junior medic.

"Johnny…there's nothing wrong with me…it's the music. How can you not wanna dance with music like that playing? Besides…it's Friday."

The rest of the guys put aside their thoughts about the curiosity that was Mike Stoker, and set about getting changed for the start of the shift.

Mike buttoned up the last of his shirt buttons, and taking his radio with him, made his way out to the kitchen area.

"What the heck was that?" Marco asked the others.

"You think that was strange, wait till I tell you what happened to me this morning…you won't believe it," said Roy.

Johnny shook his head. "I don't know, Roy…what happened to me this morning was pretty freaky, too."

"And don't forget about me, Johnny…what I told you was pretty amazing, too."

"True, Chet," Johnny replied with a nod.

"Well…something strange happened to me this morning, too," Marco offered.

They all looked at each other. Deciding that Roy's life was usually pretty normal, Chet, Johnny, and Marco decided to let Roy go first.

"Okay, Roy…let's hear it."

Roy nodded at his partner.

"Okay, well…you know how my mother-in-law never seemed to like me, nor did she ever respect what I did for a living…or thought I was good enough for Joanne? Well…this morning, she apologized for the way she had always treated me…and…said she thought I was a great father and a wonderful husband to Joanne…and that she understood why her daughter was so proud of me. How weird is that?"

"That is pretty strange, Roy. She said that to you…just like that?"

"Yep…just like that, Johnny. I was so blown away…you could have knocked me over with a feather."

Since Johnny and Chet each knew each other's strange incident of the morning, they both wanted to know about what had happened to Marco.

"What's your wild tale, Marco?"

"Chet…you guys aren't going to believe this. Well, for the last week or so I hadn't been able to sleep very well. Last night, I rolled over and saw the time on my clock…midnight. From that time, until I got up in the morning, I slept like a log. Then, after I got dressed and went to put my watch on…I saw my grandmother's Rosary beads on my dresser. Last I remember she had been buried with them. Seeing the beads, that followed a night of me dreaming about my grandmother…it was really unbelievable. What about you, Johnny?"

"Well…you guys aren't going to believe this…I can hardly believe it myself. I was going through some of my mail this morning…and I see this envelope with a return address on it from Coral Gables, Florida. I'm thinking to myself…I don't know anyone in Florida…then I open the envelope and see this check in it…for $3500 dollars."

"$3500 dollars, Johnny?" Roy repeated the dollar amount.

"Yeah. Then I read the letter that was inside. It was from an old high school friend of mine…Brett Connors. He always wanted to be rich. Well, one day I was over his house…maybe in 11th grade, and we were talking. I guess I was on one of my rambling kicks…and I was giving him all these crazy ideas. Well, it turns out that he took one of my ideas and ran with it…and it made him quite wealthy. He wanted to pay me some money for the idea."

Roy looked curiously at his partner. "And what was your idea?"

Johnny grinned embarrassingly. "I don't know. Like I told you…I was rambling. I gave him about twenty ideas that day. How the hell am I supposed to know which one he took?"

"Write to him…or call him. Is there a phone number in that letter?"

"Yes, but…"

"$3500 dollars, Johnny…wouldn't you wanna know what idea it was that made him so rich?"

"I guess, Roy…but it's not really a big deal to me. My biggest problem right now, is what to do with this check. I have it in my wallet, but I don't want to keep it there. I mean, what happens if something happened to me. I'm going to ask Captain Stanley to lock it up in his desk for me."

"What are you going to do with all that money, Johnny? $3500 dollars…that's a lot of money."

"Yeah, it is Marco. I'll probably put it in the bank. Okay, Chet…tell Marco and Roy what happened to you this morning."

"My gorgeous new next door neighbor asked me over for dinner tomorrow night," Chet said matter-of-factly.

Marco looked at his friend incredulously. "You mean the one who blew you off, earlier this week?"

"Yep…that's the one, Marco. Rachel…Rachel Conway. As I was leaving my apartment this morning, she came over and apologized for being so rude to me earlier. Then she invited me to dinner. She said she's a great cook. Wants me over at five o'clock for appetizers…says she wants to get to know me better. Now you guys tell me…how freaky is that?"

The three men all nodded their heads in agreement.

After dressing, they joined Mike out in the squad room, where the engineer continued to bop along and sing to the music. The song now playing on the radio was The Hughes Corporation's, "Rock the Boat."

"Rock the boat, don't tip the boat over…rock the boat, don't rock the boat baby…Rock the boat…"

The four other firefighters all stood there shaking their heads in curious fascination and wonder.

"Gee, I wonder where Captain Stanley is. He's always here way before any of us…and he's not here yet."

Johnny, Chet, and Roy all looked over at Marco. They had to agree with him…it was very unusual for Hank to run late.

When Hank finally made it to the station, he was surprised to see the cars of all five of his men already there. As he entered the squad room, he chuckled as he saw his crew talking animatedly around the table.

"Good morning, gentlemen."

Mike grinned at his captain. "Hi, Captain Stanley…check this out."

The engineer proceeded to demonstrate one of his new dance moves, as he gyrated his hips and spun around.

"What do you think about my new dance move, Cap?" Mike asked excitedly.

Hank was stunned. He had known Mike Stoker for several years now, and had never seen the engineer quite this animated before.

"Uh…way to go, Mike. Let me get myself settled, and we'll have roll call shortly."

The captain continued on to his office where he sat down at his desk and tried to make sense of this very strange morning.

Finally returning from their early morning run, the men of C-shift wearily entered the room.

"Look who's back."

"Save it, Gage. That had to be the freakiest place I've ever been to," commented Charlie Dwyer.

"What was it, Charlie?"

"You remember that TV show…The Addams Family? This place was just like it…just plain crazy. The only thing that was missing was that hand in a box."

Roy looked curiously over at his friend. "What happened?"

"You mean, what DIDN’T happen, Roy. They decided to start a fire in their fireplace, but didn't open the flue…the house got smoked out terribly. The bats got loose…grandpa got bitten by one of them. Grandma fell and broke her ankle, chasing after cousin It."

"Cousin It?" Roy asked incredulously.

"Yeah. It was some kind of animal…looked like a big mop. Lurch hit his head on a ceiling fan…had a scalp wound. Gomez had puncture marks on his back from attempting to lie down on his new bed of nails. Morticia cut the tip of her finger off, while she was snipping off the flower tops. And…Pugsley and Wednesday got into a knock down drag out fight…they both ended up with bad bruises and cuts. I'd say that I was glad that this shift is over for us, but I have a feeling that the freakiness is just gonna continue. I hope you guys have a better…or at least, a more normal shift."

When Charlie Dwyer and the rest of the guys left the room, the others all looked at each other.

Out of the blue, Mike started to spout out statistics and theories about these kinds of strange days, prompting the rest of the crew to look at him as though he were crazy.

Joining his men, Hank counted to make sure his entire crew had indeed arrived.  
"We're all here…we might as well just have roll call right here in the squad room."

Everyone but Mike sat down.

"Uh…Mike, you wanna join us? And…if you don't mind…cut the music."

"Okay, Cap…coming."

After obediently, albeit reluctantly shutting off his radio, the engineer joined the rest of his crewmates at the table.

After looking at each of his crew members, Hank looked up at the heavens…he just knew the day was going to be a strange one.

"Lopez…Kelly…DeSoto…Gage…and Stoker…everyone's here…check. Here are some announcements. First, they are looking for volunteers to be clowns for the annual Children's Fire Safety Day. Any takers?"

Right away, Mike's hand went up. "I'll do it, Cap. I always wanted to be a clown. I had an Uncle who was a clown in the circus…he was so funny…made balloon animals…and had a really big tie on, and big floppy shoes. His feet were only size ten, but his clown shoes were like size 16…amazing…and…"

"Mike…fine…you're in. Anyone else?" asked Hank, quickly cutting off the engineer.

Hank half expected Chet and Johnny to start going after each other with sarcastic comments about the other person each being a clown…but no such exchange was forthcoming.

"The second thing is the Firemen's Olympics are coming up in two months. If any of you are interested in participating…the sign-up sheet will be posted on the bulletin board."

Johnny turned and smiled at Chet, and in a very sincere tone, encouraged his friend to sign up.  
"You should sign up, Chet…I bet you'd do well."

"Really?" Chet asked with surprise.

"Yeah, I do. Look at how well you did pitching…and that basketball game…I have no doubts."

The others all looked curiously at the two men who appeared to have suddenly become best buddies.

"And now for the chore assignments."

Raising his hand, Mike smiled. "I volunteer to do the latrines, Cap."

"You do?" Hank asked in surprise.

"Yeah, that way I can listen to some music…and practice some of my new moves."

"Okay. John…after you and Roy check your supplies, you and Chet can go out and work on the hoses. Roy, you have dorms…and Marco it's your turn to cook…and you also have the squad room to clean."

Raising his hand again, Mike smiled. "Cap, I'd also like to cook supper tonight. I have a new dish that I know you'll just love."

Hank nodded his head. "Okay. Let's get to work, everyone."

Mike ran off to the latrines, with his radio in tow, while Chet and Johnny walked off together, leaving Hank and Roy to scratch their heads.

"You really think I should sign up for the Olympics, John?"

"Yeah, I do. Hey, after I help Roy with the supply check…we'll go out back and work on the hoses, and we'll talk about what events you might be able to enter. I'll even help you train for it."

"That would be great…I'll start out there now…"

"Cool…see ya soon."

Chet ran off to the back of the station to start on the hoses.

When Johnny arrived next to the squad where his partner was about to start on the supply check, he was met by a suspicious looking Roy.

"What's that about?" Roy asked his partner, referring to him and Chet seemingly becoming best buddies.

"Huh? Oh my god…I'll be right back."

Johnny quickly ran back inside, where he had hoped his captain still was.  
Relieved when he spotted him leaning against the counter, Johnny approached him.  
"Cap…I almost forgot. I need you to do me a big favor."

Hank sighed loudly, with the way the day had gone so far, and how strange everyone was acting, he was afraid to find out what the paramedic wanted him to do.  
"Uh…what…what's the problem, John?"

"Problem? There's no problem…I just need you to lock this up for me in your office."

Handing the check over to his captain, Hank whistled when he saw the large sum written on the check.  
"$3500 dollars? What did you do, Gage…rob a bank?"

"If I told you…you'd never believe me," replied Johnny, shaking his head.

"Try me. This day has been so strange already…I'd tend to believe just about anything right now."

Johnny launched into his explanation of how he ended up with that rather large summed check in his possession.

"You're right, John…it IS quite unbelievable. And you're sure you have no idea what it's actually for?"

"None," shrugged Johnny.

"Okay…I'll lock it up in the desk for you," agreed Hank, taking the folded check from the paramedic’s hand.

"Thanks, Cap."

When Johnny returned to his partner, Roy had already started to check the supplies.

"What did you have to rush off to talk to Captain Stanley about?"

"Oh, I wanted him to lock my check up for me. So…what was it you were referring to, when you asked me 'What was that about'?"

"Uh…you and Chet, I guess. You guys have been acting like you actually like each other today."

"We DO like each other, Roy. We don't ALWAYS not get along. I happen to think that Chet is very underrated. Hey…your mother-in-law actually likes you…if that's possible…so is me and Chet actually getting along."

While the two paramedics were doing their morning routine, Marco was in the squad room cleaning, and fretting over lunch. He had forgotten that it was his turn to cook that day and was ill-prepared for it.

Meanwhile in the locker room, Mike was cleaning and gyrating to the strains of The Four Seasons' "December 1963…Oh What a Night".

"Oh what a night…late December back in '63 what a very special time for me…"

In the middle of everyone's strange morning, the alarms went off, and the station was called out.

"Station 51…unknown type rescue…418 W. Griffith Street…cross street Taylor Boulevard."

Roy who was right next to the radio, responded.  
"Station 51 responding, KMG-365."

As the two vehicles pulled out of the station, Hank could only imagine what kind of crazy call this was going to be.

Pulling up to a well maintained blue and white bungalow, the men of 51's was met by a man wearing a clown costume, which immediately sent Mike into a fit of giggles.

Hank tried to maintain his composure and a sense of professionalism, seeing that his second in command could not.

"Uh…what seems to be the problem?" Hank asked with as much seriousness as he was able to muster.

"My name is Lou…Lou Merloni. My brother-in-law is trapped."

"Trapped?" Hank questioned.

"Yeah…he…he's trapped. He fell through the basement steps…he can't get out. He didn't want me to call for help, but there was no way that I could help him myself."

Interjecting, Johnny questioned the man. "What happened?"

"Well…first of all, just so you know…I don't normally dress like this. We're having a special event at work…anyway, my brother-in-law Lance, he's…he's a little embarrassed."

Roy was starting to get a little impatient.  
"Cap, we should just go to this guy…he could really be hurt."

"Okay. Mike, you stay out here…if we need any more help…I'll call. Let's go."

Roy, Johnny and the rest of the men carried the equipment inside.

When they arrived to where their victim was, their jaws all dropped. Lance was a rather large man, who was apparently dressed in a fairy costume, complete with tiara and tutu. And sure enough, he had literally fallen through the stairs.

Needing the extra manpower, Mike ended up being called in from outside. With much effort they were able to get their victim out.

Once they got him on the flat ground of the floor above them, they were finally able to see what they were dealing with.

With his brother-in-law Lou standing nearby, everyone kind of looked at each other, but no one said a word.

Roy and Johnny started to examine their victim, trying very hard to keep a sense of professionalism. After all, it wasn't every day that one came across and clown and a man wearing a pink tutu and tiara.

After ascertaining Lance's injuries and contacting Rampart for treatment, he was soon readied for transport.

Once he was safely in the ambulance, Johnny with him, the guys were standing around talking in hushed tones.

Finally, not being able to contain himself any longer, Chet asked the question that was on everyone's mind.  
"Lou…uh…why is Lance wearing that costume?"

Lou sighed loudly, embarrassed for his brother-in-law, but he felt that the people who had helped to rescue him deserved an explanation.

"Lance is a cross dresser. He enjoys wearing women's clothing for kicks. I don't know why. I assure you that me wearing this clown suit has nothing to do with him. I live next door and heard him yelling for help. If you guys don't need me…I need to get going to work."

Suddenly hearing Johnny clearing his throat, Roy realized that he hadn't yet closed the ambulance doors.  
"See ya soon Junior," Roy called out as he closed the doors, and gave the customary two thumps to signal all was clear.

After the ambulance pulled away, the men's attention shifted to Lou walking away. They could only hope that he wasn't going to drive with his big clown shoes on.

"Well…I guess I'll go meet up with Johnny at Rampart…see ya in a bit, Cap."

After Roy pulled away in the squad, the engine crew was left to ponder the previous rescue, and the explanation that went with it.

"We better get going fellas. Mike…are you calm now?"

The engineer smiled and nodded his head. "Yep…we should get going, Cap…I still have some new dance moves to work on."

As Hank and Chet exchanged looks, Marco sat quietly in his seat, still fretting over what to make for lunch.

######################  
In the squad on the way back to the station, the two paramedics were talking about their first rescue of the day.

"Boy, that was a weird one…a guy who weighed almost 300 pounds, wearing a pink tutu."

"And a tiara, Johnny…don't forget the tiara."

"Dwyer was right…this shift IS going to be a weird one. So far things have just been downright freaky," Johnny commented with a sigh.

Hearing the radio go off, Johnny exchanged a knowing look with his partner.

"This one is going to be strange, too Roy…you just watch."

"Squad 51…woman down…6042 North Hampton Avenue…cross street Halverston."

Johnny picked up the microphone and responded, "Ten-four, LA…Squad 51 responding."

After replacing the mike into its holder, Johnny turned to Roy.

"How much you wanna bet this is going to be a weird one, too?"

When they arrived at 6042 North Hampton Avenue, Johnny looked up at the sign mounted to the outside of the structure.  
"Cleopatra's Café. What did I say, Roy…weird."

Grabbing their equipment, the two paramedics made their way inside.

"Someone call the Fire Department?" Roy asked the first person he saw.

The man nodded his head. "Yeah, it's my wife, Cleo. She was a little jealous of the new belly dancer I hired, so she wanted to do it too. She was in the back room practicing the dance of the seven veils, and she hurt herself."

"Hurt herself?" Johnny repeated.

"Yeah…I think she threw her back out, and hurt her right hip."

The man led them to the back room. When they got there, they noted the rather large woman lying on the floor…in full belly dancing regalia, and the seven veils scattered on the floor behind her.

Johnny took a deep breath and exhaled softly.  
Squatting down to examine their victim, Johnny spoke to her first.  
"Cleo? My name is John Gage, and this is my partner Roy DeSoto. We're…we're going to take a look at you. Can I ask how old you are?"

"57…and I know…I only look like I'm 37."

Johnny had to concentrate hard not to lose his professionalism, after hearing her comment.

After examining her, it was determined that she had no major injuries, but would take a trip in to Rampart to get checked out. No IV's were started, but Dr. Early, usually the doctor that gave the most leeway to the paramedics, requested that they ride in with her.

"Ten-four, Rampart. ETA, ten minutes."

After getting off the phone, Johnny glanced over at Roy, who had the same slightly irritated look that he knew he had on his own face.

It took the two ambulance attendants, as well as both paramedics to lift Cleo onto the stretcher.

"Will she be okay?" the woman's husband asked.

"Yes…it's all just precautionary. We're taking her to Rampart General Hospital…ER."

Cleo was loaded into the ambulance, while Roy and Johnny stood debating which one was going to go in with her.

Speaking softly so they kept their discussion private, Johnny smiled slyly. "I went in with Lance…"

"Well…I'm the senior member of this team…"

"Even or odds?" Johnny asked his puzzled partner.

"Even or…" Roy suddenly realized what his partner was referring to. "Even."

Doing it very coyly, they played their game…Roy coming out the victor.

"See you at Rampart, Junior."

Smiling as he closed the doors, Roy caught the frustrated glare of his partner.

At Rampart, the paramedics were now at the base station talking to Dixie.

"What is your station trying to do today…win the strangest victims award? Between the odd balls that C-shift brought in this morning, and your last two…you guys are cornering the market."

Johnny went on to tell the head nurse about some of the strange things that occurred to various crewmembers that morning.

"Sounds like you guys are having one of those strange days, too."

"You mean you are too, Dix?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah. Dr. Early's been kind of a bear this morning…and Dr. Brackett's been a pussycat. And…I found a $100 dollar bill in one of my rarely used purses, this morning. I decided to change my purse, and when I reached in…there it was."

Johnny smiled. "Wow…it's not counterfeit, is it?"

Dixie returned Johnny's smile with a roll of her eyes.

"Well…we better go, Dix…see ya later."

"Okay fellas…see ya later."

Once the two men were back in their squad, Johnny turned to look at his partner.  
"What did I say, Roy? Freaky. Dixie found money…Brackett's being nice…and Early, of all people is being grouchy? And…a 57 year old woman who weighed almost as much as Lance did…thinking she looked 20 years younger…and dressed in a belly dancing costume…now you tell me…how weird is all of this?"

Roy nodded his head. He couldn't argue with anything that his partner was saying. "I'm with you, Johnny…scary as it sounds…I actually agree with you."

When they finally made it back to the station, the music from the locker room was still playing. Marco was working feverishly on lunch, and Chet was out back working on the hoses.

Going into the locker room to get his notebook, Johnny couldn't help but stand and momentarily be engrossed in the strange show that was Mike Stoker.

"Oh tie a yellow ribbon 'round the ole oak tree…"

Johnny smiled at the normally somewhat introverted engineer.  
"You're doing great, Mike…keep it up," Johnny commented to his friend, and left after giving him two thumbs up.

Roy strolled over to the counter to pour himself some coffee, when he noticed Marco muttering to himself in Spanish.  
"Marco…you okay?" Roy asked the normally easygoing firefighter.

"Not really. This lunch is going to be terrible."

"Terrible? You're a great cook, Marco…one of the best in the entire Department."

"It's not gonna help," Marco replied shaking his head.

Roy proceeded to pour himself a cup of coffee, and walked to the office where Hank was sitting at his desk muttering to himself.

"Cap?"

"Oh…hi Roy. You guys been back long?"

"A few minutes. What's going on with Marco?"

"Oh…he's been out of sorts ever since we were first toned out this morning. Twinkle toes is still at it in the locker room. Those two are starting to worry me."

Just then Roy started to laugh, as he remembered what he and Johnny had been discussing in the squad on the way back from the hospital.

"Uh…Johnny's got a theory about today…and I happen to agree with him."

Hank looked curiously at his senior medic. "You agree with Gage? Since when?"

Roy proceeded to tell his captain about all of the weird goings on from that morning so far, as well as to remind him about the crazy things that had happened to each one of them…even telling him about what Dixie had told them.

"I'll be darned. I guess it's contagious. Where's Gage?"

"Out back with Chet. The two of them are talking about what events Chet should sign up for in the Firemen's Olympics."

"Really?" Hank asked in surprise.

"Yep. Look, Cap…as strange as this day's been, the odds are favorable that things will just settle down and be normal again. I wouldn't worry about it."

"You wouldn't worry about it?"

#############################  
Out back, Johnny and Chet were sitting on the hood of Johnny's Rover.

"Okay, Chet…here are some of the events that I figure would be good for you to try. Swimming…track and field…they even have a H-O-R-S-E tournament…that's right up your alley, Chet."

"Horse tournament? I don't know anything about horses…that's more your cup of tea, Johnny."

"Basketball, Chet. It's a game where you shoot the ball from different places on the court…you'd be a natural at it."

"You really think so? I mean, let's face it…Bruce Jenner, I'm not."

"Chet…the important thing is that I believe in you. So, what other events? Swimming?"

"I don't think so." 

"Okay. Track and field? You'd be good at something like the long jump."

"Really?" Chet asked doubtfully.

"Yes…really. Great, then it's all settled…the HORSE tournament, and the long jump. We'll start training next week."

"Thanks, Johnny…you're a real pal," said an appreciative Chet.

##########################  
Inside, Marco had just finished making lunch, and Roy had set the table.

"Want to call Kelly and Gage to come in, Roy? And while you're at it, tell Fred Astaire that lunch is ready, too."

"Sure thing, Cap."

First going into the locker room to get Mike, Roy stood quietly watching the engineer, as he made his way down the aisle between the rows of lockers.

Mike was holding the mop, like it was his dance partner. The up-tempo dance music from earlier had been replaced by the strains of violins playing Strauss's "Blue Danube."

Looking up at the paramedic, Mike smiled.  
"Versatility as a performer…that's what it's all about, Roy. I think I'll sign up for some ballroom dancing lessons. What do you think?"

"Go for it, Mike. Cap wanted me to let you know that lunch is ready. I'm going to go out and get Chet and Johnny."

"Okay."

Going outside, Roy was fascinated to see Johnny and Chet standing by the basketball hoop together, talking very intently.

"You really think we should start here? I mean these are easy shots, right?"

"Chet…we already know you can shoot the long range shots…you've already proven to everybody that you can do that. But…people take these close shots for granted…and that's when they mess up."

Interrupting the duo, Roy called out.  
"Johnny…Chet…you guys wanna come in now…chow's on."

"We'll be right there, Roy,” answered Johnny. “We'll come back out here and practice some more after lunch, Chet."

When all the men were settled around the table, Marco brought over the food.

Looking at the odd concoction in the pot, the rest of the men looked at each other in curiosity.

"Uh…Marco, pal…what is it?" Hank asked with uncertainty.

"I don't really know," Marco replied softly.

"You…you don't know?"

"I didn't realize it was my turn to cook today…I wasn't prepared. I took a little of this and a little of that…"

Grinning, Johnny shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I'm hungry."

The others watched as the junior medic put the first scoopful on his plate, and continued to watch as he put the first forkful into his mouth.

As soon as the food hit his tongue, Johnny started to choke and gag.  
"Water…water…" he was barely able to get out.

Handing his partner a glass of water, Roy stood waiting to see if he needed to give Johnny mouth-to-mouth, or even start CPR on him.

After spitting the vile tasting food out into a napkin, Johnny grimaced and started to shake his head.  
"What are you trying to do to us, Marco…kill us? What the heck is this junk?"

"I told you…it'd be bad."

"Uh…Marco…I think we've already established that it doesn't taste very good, but please…tell us what this stuff is?" Hank begged.

"It's some tofu, mixed with rice…asparagus…lentil beans…and some squash. I don't know what I was thinking, everybody…I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Marco…we're all entitled to a bad day every now and then. John, you okay now?"

"Fine, Cap. So what are we gonna do about lunch?"

Hank looked around the table at his crew. "Any suggestions?"

Snapping his fingers, Johnny grinned widely. "I know…pizza…my treat."

"Johnny?" Roy questioned.

"Well…I have this big check sitting locked up in Cap's office. I have the money. Pizza?"

The men all agreed that pizza for lunch was a great idea. They were just very surprised that Johnny, who normally was a little tight with his money, would be the one who was so willing to spend on everyone. It was just another reason the day was so darn freaky.

"I'll call it in," Johnny said as he started to get up from his chair.

Sadly though, before Johnny could start dialing to place the order, the alarms went off.

"Station 51…man trapped…4532 Beakers Street…cross street Cranmore."

Hank responded on the radio, and the men all made their way to the vehicles.

As the squad was pulling out, Johnny looked over at his partner.  
"Roy…how much you wanna make a bet that this is going to be another weird one?"

"I'm inclined to agree with you, Johnny," Roy said with a nod.

When the two emergency vehicles arrived at their destination, they were met by a stunning redhead.

"Hello, fellas. I am so glad you are here."

"Uh…Miss…what seems to be the problem here?" Hank asked.

"It's my husband Melvin. He's…he's…stuck. Come with me and I'll show you."

Hank turned around and signaled for the engine crew to stay put…that he'd call on the radio if they needed additional help.

As Johnny turned to follow his partner and captain, he shook his head.

"I'm telling you, Roy…this is gonna be another strange one."

Entering the house and following the young woman to the bathroom, they were met by Melvin, who was sitting on the toilet, a big pink towel draped over his lap.

"Hi there," Roy greeted the distressed looking man. "How are you doing?"

"Well…I’m stuck."

Johnny looked at the man, a puzzled expression on his face. "If you don't mind me asking…what seems to be the problem, sir…uh…Melvin?"

Melvin looked up at his attractive wife. "Tell them what an idiot you married, Angie."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, honey. Well…it's like this…Melvin was trying to fix the toilet seat. It started to split apart, and he figured that he could just glue it back together."

"What'd you use?" Johnny asked.

"Some heavy duty super glue," Melvin mumbled dejectedly. "I thought it'd be all dry by now…I had to go. I was getting ready to shower…and…well, here I am."

Captain Stanley looked over at Roy, who in turn looked over at Johnny.

"Well…how do you guys want to proceed on this?"

Exhaling loudly, Roy started to kneel down. "Let's take a look. May I, Melvin?"

"Sure. Do what ya gotta do…just get me off of this thing."

Peeking under the towel, Roy observed the area in question, before carefully palpating the area.

"You're stuck alright. Cap, we're going to have to unscrew the seat off the toilet…and then our best bet would be to bring him to Rampart."

"Rampart? As in a hospital? Why…why can't you guys get it off here?" Melvin asked excitedly.

"You see…uh…there could be some minor damage to…to the tissue. It would just be safer for you to have a doctor take it off…VERY carefully in the ER. They're very good there. You'll be in good hands," Roy replied.

While Melvin was getting freed inside, outside the three remaining firefighters were chatting.  
"What do you think is going on in there?"

"I don't know, Chet…obviously we're not needed. I am really sorry about lunch guys. Seeing my dead grandmother's rosary beads this morning, really threw me for a loop."

"That's okay, Marco. Tonight, I'll make up for it with my supper. It'll be something that everyone will enjoy…even Captain Stanley."

"What is it, Mike?" Chet asked curiously.

"It's a fish dish. Cap won't even know it's fish."

"How are you going to accomplish that, Mike?"

"Don't worry about it, Chet…I got everything under control."

Seeing the ambulance pull up to the front of the house that they were at, Mike, Chet, and Marco met the ambulance attendants.

"You guys know anything about what's going on in there?" a curious Chet Kelly asked one of the attendants.

"No…sorry. We just transport 'em."

Watching as the two men with the stretcher made their way up the front walk and to the door, they watched with curiosity as the attractive redhead let them in.

"Man…did you see that chick? She is so…"

"…married, Chet? Besides, I thought you had a date with your neighbor tomorrow night."

"I do, Marco…but come on…a beautiful girl like that…"

Inside the house, the two paramedics helped Melvin to lie down on his stomach, on the stretcher. They made sure that the towel was on top of him, before they put the blanket on him, and strapped him in.

"How are you doing, Melvin…you okay?" Roy asked their patient.

"I'm fine. This is so embarrassing."

"Don't be. The nurses and doctors will be very gentle. Let's get going."

As everyone made their way to the front door, Chet and company turned to look at what was going on.

"What happened?" Chet asked nosily.

"Later, Chet," Johnny whispered.

When they got to the ambulance and slid Melvin inside, Roy and Johnny both looked at each other.

"Roy…" Johnny groaned.

Walking away, Roy hollered over his shoulder. "Meet you at Rampart, Junior."

Johnny sighed in frustration, and climbed into the ambulance with Melvin.

After both the ambulance and squad drove away, the other three men were all over Hank.

"So what the heck happened?"

"Well, Chet…it's like this. Melvin was about to go in the shower, but he had to…to use the facilities. He had just used some super glue to fix the seat, and assumed that it was already dried, when he…sat down."

All three of the other men's eyes got real big.

"You mean he's stuck?"

"I believe that's what the word would be, Marco. He'll be alright. You guys ready to head back to the station now?"

The three other men all nodded their heads.

"What about lunch, Cap?"

"We'll swing by the pizza place up the road from us at the station, Chet."

#################################  
Arriving at Rampart, Johnny, Melvin, and Roy were met by Dr. Brackett and Dixie.

"Room two," Dixie directed the group.

After getting their patient settled in the treatment room, the two paramedics followed Dixie back to the base station.

"Another one, fellas?" Dixie commented, referring to another strange "rescue".

"I don't know, Dix. It's like I told ya this morning…it's just a strange day. Listen to this one. Marco Lopez…he's one of the best cooks in the entire department. It was his turn to cook today…he killed lunch. I mean he literally killed it. Some sort of odd mixture of tofu, rice…and other questionable ingredients. It was terrible."

Just then around the corner came Dr. Early…not looking very happy.

"Dixie…when are you going to check the competency of some of your new nurses? I asked one of them to take a patient's blood pressure…she took his pulse."

"Yes, Joe…I'll talk to her," Dixie responded, rolling her eyes.

"Hi, Dr. Early. You…uh…you having one of those days, too?"

Roy looked at Johnny as though he had a death wish.

"What are you talking about, John?"

Catching the usually affable doctor's use of "John", rather than "Johnny"…the two paramedics knew it was time to hit the road.

"Never mind…we…we better get going. See ya later," Johnny replied as he and Roy had both started to back away.

Returning to the safety of their squad, Johnny and Roy exchanged glances.

"Boy…did ya see that? Dixie wasn't kidding. I mean Brackett can be a real bear sometimes, but Early?"

"No one's immune, Johnny."

Almost back to the station, their radio went off.

"Squad 51…woman trapped…4196 Harlan Avenue…cross street Figaroa."

Johnny lifted up the mike. "Squad 51 responding."

"Woman trapped, huh…wonder what kind of lunatic this is going to be."

Arriving at their destination, Roy and Johnny both got out some equipment and quickly made their way to the front door.

Knocking on the front door, Roy called out. "Fire Department."

Hearing a voice from within calling out, they entered.

"Come in…door's unlocked."

Once the woman heard the footsteps of people entering, she called out again.

"In the kitchen…I'm stuck."

"Okay, just relax…we're coming," called out Roy.

Smiling at the woman to keep her at ease, Roy introduced both himself and Johnny.

"Hello, ma'am. My name is Roy DeSoto, and this is my partner John Gage."

"Hi fellas. Boy am I relieved to see you."

Observing the woman, they saw that she had been in the middle of using her electric mixer when she had gotten her long hair stuck in the mixer.

"You've got yourself in a bit of a jam, huh? We'll have you out in no time at all. What's your name?" Roy asked the woman.

"Elaine. You fellas probably know my husband."

Johnny looked curiously at Elaine. "Who's your husband?"

"Chief Patrick McConnike. You know him?"

"Uh…yeah…he's our battalion chief. How come you didn't call him to help you?"

"He's out of town. I really didn't feel like waiting until he came home next week," Elaine commented with a sigh.

"No, can't say I blame ya. Roy, what do ya say we get Elaine untangled from this thing."

Carefully, the two paramedics were able to get Elaine untangled from the mixer.

"You're okay?" Johnny asked.

"Yes, I'm fine…thank you very much."

"Just out of curiosity, what were you making?"

"Muffins…banana nut muffins."

"Mmm…my favorite." Johnny was licking his lips at the thought of some freshly baked muffins.

"What station are you fellas from? I'll drop off a batch when I get the chance."

"That won't be necessary, Elaine."

Grinning, Johnny started to pick up the drug box. "Station 51. You have a great rest of the day."

"Thank you," said a relieved Elaine McConnike.

Walking out to their squad, the two men put away their equipment.

"Okay, Johnny…that call wasn't entirely strange."

"No, it wasn't…but the fact that it was McConnike's wife…that was a little weird. Let's go back to the station…if we're lucky, they picked something up for lunch."

Returning to the station, the sound of Latin music could be heard coming from the squad room.

"I'm not sure, Roy…but I think Mike's at it again."

Entering the room, the two paramedics were surprised to see not only their engineer dancing, but Marco, Chet, and even Captain Stanley as well.

Greeting them loudly was Hank.

"Hey guys…wanna join us? Marco is showing us a few moves."

"Uh…no, we're good. Is there any lunch?"

"Pizza in the oven, Roy."

While Roy went to retrieve the pizza from the oven, Johnny pulled out two plates, two glasses, and some juice from the refrigerator.

Sitting down to eat their lunch, the two paramedics observed the rest of their crew dancing.

"Johnny, I think I've seen it all."

Shaking his head, Johnny grinned. "Nope…I don't think you have, Roy. The shift is only half over."

While eating their pizza, the phone rang.

Looking at the rest of their crew who were immersed in their music and dancing, Roy got up to answer the phone.

"Hello…Station 51, Firefighter DeSoto here."

"Greetings, DeSoto…it's Chief McConnike here."

Hearing the chief's voice on the other end of the line, threw Roy for a loop.

"Chief…what can I do for you?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Nothing. I just got a call from my wife…she told me how wonderful you and Gage were to her. I just wanted to thank you both."

"Our pleasure…that's why we're here."

"Is that music I hear?" the curious chief asked.

"Music?" Roy repeated, playing dumb.

"Yes, I hear music. It sounds like some kind of Latin music. You boys having a party or something? Is Lopez making his special tacos?"

"Uh…no, sir. The guys are just blowing off some steam. How is your trip?"

"Dandy. Is Hank there? I'd like to talk to him," McConnike said with a hearty laugh.

"Uh…yeah, sure…hang on."

Getting off the phone, Roy walked over to where the other men were still dancing.

"Cap, you might want to kill the music. Chief McConnike is on the phone…wants to talk to you."

The music was stopped without delay.

"Me? What'd I do?" Hank asked with a shudder.

Shrugging his shoulders, Roy handed the phone to his captain.

"Hello…Hank Stanley here."

"Hello, Hank. I just wanted to check in with my favorite captain. How are things going?"

"Fine…fine. How about with you?" Hank nearly choked.

"Couldn't be better. I'm out of town on business. I should be back in LA in a few days. Your paramedics just helped my wife out of a jam, and I wanted to properly thank them. I gotta go…take care…and give my best to the rest of your men. I always did have a special fondness for your crew."

"Okay…bye, Chief."

After hanging up the phone, Hank turned around and looked at all his men.  
"The…the Chief says hello to all of you. Roy, why didn't you tell me what you and John had just been up to?"

"I didn't have a chance, Cap. It sounds like everything is fine. Is it?"

"Yeah…yeah, fine."

Just then the alarms sounded and the station was called out on another run.  
"Station 51, unknown type rescue…518 Woodside Road…"

Hank ran to the radio. "Station 51 responding, KMG-365."

As soon as Johnny got into the squad, he glanced over at his partner.  
"Mark my word, Roy…it's going to be another weird one. I just don't know how much more of this I can take."

When the two vehicles arrived on scene, they were greeted by a pretty young brunette.  
"Hi…thank goodness you guys are here."

Dismounting the engine, and going around to meet the woman, Hank asked her about the situation.  
"What seems to be the problem, Miss?"

"It's my great grandmother. I come here every day to check on her. This morning when I came over she was sitting on the couch complaining of a pain in her back. The reason why I called you, besides checking her out, is…I need help moving the marble-top chest. My great grandmother apparently moved some furniture this morning…including the chest. The chest is in the middle of the room…she couldn't move it back."

Hank turned around. "You guys stay here. If we need you, I'll call."

On the way up the walk, Johnny asked about the great grandmother.  
"How old is your great grandmother?"

"100 years old. She's in really good shape, so she thinks that she can do anything…including moving heavy furniture."

Entering the house, they were led to where the woman's great grandmother was sitting on the couch.

Giving the older woman his best grin, Johnny approached her.  
"Hi there, I'm Johnny…and this is my partner Roy, and Captain Hank Stanley. We're here to help you. Can you tell me what your name is?"

"It's Beatrice…Beatrice Parker. I see you met my great granddaughter, Samantha."

"Yes, ma'am. Beatrice, can you tell us what exactly happened?" Johnny continued.

"Sure. I was moving some furniture. I got everything where I wanted, except that heavy chest over there…normally, I don't have any trouble moving it, but this time…I don't know what happened."

The three men took a look around the room at all the heavy pieces of furniture…a couch, a love seat, two big recliners, two tables, and the big chest that only got moved half way.

"You…you moved all this yourself?" Johnny asked incredulously.

"Sure did," Beatrice replied quite emphatically.

Stepping forward with some equipment, Roy approached the woman.  
"Beatrice, mind if we take a look at you? Your great granddaughter said that you were feeling some pain in your back."

"Okay…but wouldn't you, too if you were moving all of this furniture?"

"Probably," Roy nodded.  
After examining her, it was determined that although the injury didn't appear to be too serious, Rampart had wanted Beatrice brought in to get checked out. Hearing that their victim was 100 years old, Brackett and Early became curious as to the shape that she was in and whether or not there was anything really wrong going on with her.

Once she was readied for transport, Hank, Johnny, and Roy moved the heavy chest back in place.

When the ambulance arrived, she was transferred to the stretcher.  
"Samantha, you can meet us at Rampart General Hospital…they'll take good care of her."

Waving to her great granddaughter, Beatrice allowed the attendants to put her into the ambulance.

"Roy, I'll go in with her…I've gotta hear about how she managed to move all that furniture herself."

"Okay…meet you at Rampart, Johnny."

After the ambulance drove away, the curiosity of the other men became apparent.  
"So what was that about, Cap?" A once again nosey Chet asked.

"That was Beatrice…all 100 years of her. She hurt her back moving some heavy furniture. Me, Roy, and John were barely able to move it ourselves…and she did it by herself."

In the ambulance, Johnny and Beatrice were having a conversation.  
"100 years old, huh? What's your secret to longevity, Beatrice?"

"Well…if you really wanna know…the key is to have plenty of sex…and to indulge in plenty of chocolate and wine."

Hearing that, Johnny knew that he had turned about 1000 shades of red. That certainly wasn't what he thought he'd hear out of the mouth of this kindly old woman.

"My sweet Calvin died 20 years ago…he was quite a master in the sack. How about you, Johnny?"

Johnny was flabbergasted. "How about me, what?"

"You in relationship? A handsome young man like yourself surely has a lovely young lady on his arm."

"Uh…no…no girl," the paramedic stammered out.

"My Samantha is a lovely young lady. She has such bad luck with the dating thing, too. Maybe the two of you should get together."

"Uh…uh…maybe. How are you feeling now, Beatrice?" Johnny asked the woman, trying desperately to change the subject.

"A little sore, but I'm okay. Sam tends to overreact, but she's a very sweet girl…she means well."

Finally arriving at the hospital, Johnny was quite relieved. Although the other victims that they'd had earlier in the day were stranger, this conversation was making Johnny very uncomfortable…talking about sex with a 100 year old woman.

In the ER, Johnny helped get Beatrice settled and bid her farewell.

At the base station, the two paramedics were talking to Dixie.  
"Johnny…you are beat red. What happened?"

"Uh…uh nothing."

"John Gage…"

"Okay…I guess, I can tell ya. It's Beatrice."

"Beatrice? The 100 year old little lady whom you just brought in?"

"That's the one. She…well, I had asked her about what she attributed her longevity to…"

Dixie smiled. "Let me guess…she said sex."

"Yeah…how did you know?"

"Well…my grandmother always told me, Johnny…that just because there's snow on the roof, doesn't mean there's no fire in the fireplace. What else did she say?"

"Lots of chocolate and wine."

"Well…I guess I should get started then," Dixie responded, smiling.

"We should get going, Johnny…see ya later, Dix."

Taking a piece of chocolate from out of the drawer in front of her, Dixie waved, as she unwrapped it.

Back in the squad, Johnny sat muttering to himself.  
"It was unbelievable, Roy…she just kept right on talking. Too much information is what I think…I don't need to hear about the personal lives of our victims, let alone our geriatric ones. This day just gets weirder and weirder. And McConnike calling? What was that about?"

"It's like I told Cap…his wife called him and told him about us helping her. He just wanted to thank us. Why he wanted to talk to Cap…not sure about that one."

Johnny got on the radio and made them available.  
"We still didn't eat anything yet, Roy. The pizza is probably hard as a rock. And what was up with Marco today? Whatever that concoction was…it was totally disgusting."

"Well, if you hadn't been so distracted by Beatrice…we could have stayed and had something at Rampart."

"Never mind, Roy…let's just go back…hopefully they reheated it up for us."

"You really think so? My guess is that our pizza is still on the table where we left it…and Mike has them doing some strange dance again."

"No…that was Marco. He was the one showing them some kind of Latin dance."

"Anyway…talking about weird, Johnny…what's up between you and Chet? You guys are acting like new best friends."

"I told you, Roy…I'm helping him go out for the Firemen's Olympics. And we ARE friends. There's no big deal about that."

"No…but usually you two are at each other's throats."

"What can I say…not today."

When the paramedics returned to the station, they were met by the sound of more music.  
"Mike is at it again, Roy."

When they returned to the day room, Mike was indeed the one doing all of the dancing…with the other three men watching intently.  
From across the room, Mike called out. "It's the latest rage, fellas…disco. Check this out."  
Mike did a spin move and continued to gyrate his hips.

Standing and watching from afar, the two paramedics gave him two thumbs up.  
"Way to go, Mike…Elvis has nothing on you," Johnny called out.

Approaching the table, Johnny spotted the big covered basket that was on top of it.  
"Roy…" Johnny called out, nodding his head in the direction of the basket.

Hank turned around.  
"Oh, those are for you two. It was delivered right after we got back."

Lifting up the pretty cloth, fresh muffins could be seen.  
"Muffins…"

Reaching into the basket for a muffin, Johnny eagerly took a bite out of one.

Watching his partner, Roy waited for a reaction…he had a feeling that one was coming.  
Sure enough…out came the grimace and then the mouthful of muffin that he had just put into his mouth.  
Spitting the mouthful of muffin into his hand, the others looked at Johnny strangely.

"What's wrong with that muffin?" Chet asked his friend.

"Hair…"  
Going over to the sink, Johnny swallowed a mouthful of water and rinsed out his mouth.

"Hair? Chet asked curiously.

"Yeah, hair. McConnike's wife made these muffins. She was making them when she got her hair caught in the mixer. She called for us to get her out…guess she used the same mixture to make these muffins."

"Roy…why the heck didn't you warn me about that?" Johnny asked disgustedly.

"Why? And take away all the fun?"

Johnny groaned and rolled his eyes, and then properly disposed of the muffins.

The next couple hours were quiet…no calls coming in.

Putting the music back on, Mike started to prepare dinner.

"What are we having for dinner tonight, Michael?"

Grinning slyly, Mike answered. "It's a surprise, Cap…but I assure you that you'll just love it."

Chiming in was Chet. "Anything's gotta be better than the slop that Marco tried to pass off on us today."

"Hey…I said I was sorry," Marco responded defensively.

"Come on Chet…let's go shoot some hoops…you need to practice."

Watching as Johnny and Chet walked away together, Hank scratched his head.  
"That is so bazaar…seeing those two actually getting along for a change."

Roy nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah…but it's better than hearing their constant sniping back and forth…but you do realize that by the end of this shift…things will be normal again…and they'll probably forget all about today."

Hank grinned and nodded his head. "Probably."

Returning to the sanctuary of his office, Hank left Roy to deal with the craziness of the rest of the crew on his own.

Out back, Chet was shooting some baskets while Johnny stood by giving him some pointers.  
"It's all in the wrists, Chet…just like you did it in that basketball game a couple years ago."

"Okay. Like this?"

Proceeding to shoot the ball from long range, Chet amazingly got the ball into the basket.

"Incredible, Chet. You're another Kareem Abdul-Jabbar."

Back inside Marco was standing at the counter next to Mike who was happily preparing dinner, while shimmying to the strains of The Four Seasons' "Walk Like a Man."

"Walk like a man…walk like a man…"

"Mike, what exactly are you making for dinner?"

"A special fish dish…" Realizing his rhyme, Mike started to giggle. "Fish dish…get it…"

Marco looked at his friend in disbelief. "Fish? You're making fish for dinner? You know Captain Stanley doesn't eat fish."

"He will today. He won't even know it's fish."

Overhearing his two friends mention something about fish, Roy decided to let it go. He figured that with how strange the day has been it was very possible that Hank wouldn't have a problem with the dinner fare.

As Mike's dinner preparations were getting closer to being completed, the alarms sounded, calling the paramedics out on another call.  
"Squad 51, man down, Ocean Acres Nursing Home, 518 North Pacific Avenue."

Getting on the radio, Roy responded to dispatch, and waited for his partner to join him.

"Keep practicing, Chet…we'll pick it up later, after dinner."

Running to the squad, Johnny hopped in and took the address slip from Roy's hand.

Looking at the call slip, Johnny smiled in relief.

"Finally, a normal call."

Arriving at the nursing home, the paramedics were greeted by the evening nursing supervisor.  
"Thank you for coming so fast."

"That's what we're here for. What seems to be the problem?" Johnny asked the nurse.

"It's Mr. Halsey. He got banged up good…possible head injury."

"Okay."

Being led to the gentleman's room, the paramedics spotted the man sitting in his chair, a bandage sported on a cut over his left eye.

"Hi there, sir. We're paramedics. I'm Roy DeSoto and this is my partner John Gage. Do you remember what happened?"

"Do I remember? I sure do. It was my wife Gloria. She came at me with her cane…started hitting me on the head and body."

"Can I ask why?" Johnny asked curiously.

"Well…it's because of my girlfriend Sally. We were…having a good time and my wife…found us. She wasn't due back from San Diego until Sunday."

Exchanging glances with his partner, Johnny became aware that this was indeed another one of those oddball calls.

"Mr. Halsey, can I ask you how old you are?" Roy asked.

"Certainly, young man…I am a very robust 92 years old. My birthday was last week...and please, the name is Paul."

Getting on the bio-phone, Johnny called in to Rampart.  
"Rampart, this is Squad 51. How do you read?"

"Go ahead, 51," responded the voice of Dr. Brackett.

"We have a male, age 92…victim of an…attack. He has a possible head injury, with an inch-long laceration above his left eye. He also has bruises on mid-section. Vitals are…"

"Any disorientation or lethargy, 51?"

"Negative. Patient is alert and coherent."

After giving them their treatment orders, Roy got ready to start an IV.

"Paul…the hospital wants us to start an IV…just in case there is a head injury…shouldn't hurt too much."

"Don't worry about me…I was in WWII…ain't nothing that gets the better of me…not even my wife," Paul said with a chuckle.

"Okay."

Once Mr. Halsey was ready for transport, the ambulance attendants helped transfer him to the stretcher.

On the way out, in the hallway, an elderly woman who looked to be in her 90's was waiting for Paul to come out.  
"Oh Paul…I am so sorry," the woman sobbed.

"Don't worry about it, Sally…I'll be fine…just a bump on the head. I'll be back before you know it…just keep the bed warm for me," Paul said with a wink.

When Roy and Johnny made it outside with their patient, Johnny didn't even say anything to Roy…he merely got into the ambulance…he knew he wouldn't win.

In the ambulance on the way to Rampart, Paul was telling Johnny and the ambulance attendant in the back with them, all about the "attack", and how he and Sally came to be…as well as the deterioration of his marriage to Gloria.  
"The marriage was over years ago, but Gloria just wouldn't face it…and hey…a man's gotta do…what a man's gotta do…right?"

The one thought that was running through Johnny's head was…just please let this day be over already.

At the hospital Paul was brought to the treatment room. After bidding him good-bye and good-luck, Johnny left Paul, and met his partner and Dixie at the base station.

"Another one?" Dixie questioned the paramedics.

"Yes…another one, Dix. These calls are just getting weirder and weirder. I think we should introduce Mr. Halsey to Beatrice…let them compare notes. Roy, you ready to head back? I'm starving, and after the garbage that Marco tried to serve us today…"

"Yeah, okay. See ya later, Dix."

Before they even took one step away from the desk, the voice of Dr. Early could be heard.  
"I said the left arm and the right leg…NOT the right arm and the left leg…"

Catching the irritated tone of his voice, the two paramedics waved to the nurse and quickly made their escape.

"Boy…I really wonder what Dr. Early's problem is today."

"It's probably all related, Johnny…Brackett's nice, Dixie finding that $100 bill in her purse, and all the strange calls we've been on. She did say that things at the hospital have been rather strange, too."

"Yeah, I suppose. I wonder what Mike is making for dinner."

"Fish."

"Fish? But Captain Stanley doesn't eat fish."

"I don't know what to tell you, Johnny. I overheard Mike and Marco talking just before the alarms sounded…he definitely said fish."

"That oughta be interesting," Johnny replied with a sigh.

When the paramedics returned to the station, the rest of the crew was about to sit down to dinner.

Looking up smiling was Mike. "Good, you guys made it back in time to join us."

"Yeah…wouldn't miss this for anything in the world."

After Johnny made that comment, Roy rolled his eyes at his partner.

Once everyone was sitting down at the table, Mike brought out the platter with the fish on it. It was breaded flounder and made to appear like it was chicken. He was able to use various spices, and that, coupled with the fact that it was a mild tasting fish, helped to make Hank think that it was chicken…at least on the surface. Also accompanying the fish was a nice tossed salad and some garlic bread.

"Juice?" Marco offered his friends.

Once the drinks were poured and everyone was settled, they started to eat.

Noticing his men all looking over at him, Hank started to become paranoid.

"What are you guys all looking at me for? Is something wrong?"

Exchanging looks with one another, it was finally Mike who answered.  
"No…nothing's wrong, Cap. I was just wondering how you liked the meal so far?"

"It's fine, Mike." After taking a few mouthfuls of the fish, Hank asked his paramedics about the previous call that they had just been on. "What was that last call about? Something happen at a nursing home?"

"Yeah. There was a disturbance and one of the residents got attacked."

"What exactly happened, Roy?"

Shaking his head, Johnny sighed loudly. "It was rather unbelievable. A 92 year old man was attacked by his wife when she came to visit him, and found him in bed with another woman."

Hank looked questioningly at Johnny. "How old was the other woman?"

"She was in her 90's, too. Look, can we just drop this conversation? Talking about the sex lives of senior citizens isn't exactly at the top of my list of topics," Johnny replied.

Hearing his friend's comment about the sex lives of seniors, Chet badly wanted to take a jab at Johnny, but decided not to, seeing how well the two of them were actually getting along at the moment. That, and the fact that he knew that he'd need Johnny's help if he hoped to actually participate in the upcoming Firemen's Olympics, prevented him from saying anything.

After everyone had finished eating, Mike started to clear the table.

"Well, Michael…that was a very good meal. There was something familiar about the taste, but I couldn't quite place it. I don't think it was chicken…and I know it wasn't beef."

Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, Mike stood smiling at his captain.  
"It wasn't chicken, Cap…it was fish."

The rest of the men, along with Mike waited for the fallout from their captain having been duped into eating something that he had a strong dislike for…but it never came.

"Fish?" Hank repeated incredulously.

"Yeah…flounder to be exact. My mom and I were talking about new recipes and she was telling me about this breading she makes to put on fish. My dad isn't a very big fish eater, himself…but he doesn't mind the flounder made this way. I didn't mean to fool you, Cap. I just wanted to prove to you that if you gave fish a chance…you might like it."

Sighing loudly, Hank scratched his head. "What the heck…today's been a strange day…I guess this is just par for the course. I just have one thing to say…what's for dessert?"

"Chocolate cream pie. I just have to put the whipped cream on it."

"While you're doing that, Mike…I'll get some more coffee going," Marco offered.

"Thanks, pal."

When the phone rang, the guys all looked at each other, knowing that it could be anyone about anything.

"I'll get it," Johnny replied, getting up to answer the phone.  
"Station 51, firefighter Gage here."

"Hello Johnny. This is Elaine…McConnike. I just wanted to make sure that you and Roy received the muffins that I had dropped off earlier today."

"Uh…yeah…we did. They were…quite a mouthful…and a very interesting texture."

"Great. So you enjoyed them?"

"Yeah…we…we sure did."

"Great. I'm going to make more one of these days, and drop another batch off at the station for you fellas."

"Uh…well, thanks…but it's not really necessary…honest."

"I know. But the truth is, my husband doesn't truly appreciate my cooking…OR baking. It's just nice to make something for people who do appreciate it."

"Well…that's us."

"I guess I should let you go. Take care, Johnny."

"I will, you too, Elaine."

Getting off the phone and walking back to the table, Johnny was met by five pairs of eyes.  
"That…was Elaine McConnike. She wanted to make sure that you and I got the muffins that she had made for us, Roy. She also told me to expect another delivery of muffins sometime in the next few days. Apparently Chief McConnike doesn't appreciate her cooking…OR baking, so she's happy that she found someone who does appreciate it."

Sitting down to dessert, Johnny peered over at his captain.  
"Cap…you guys all know the kind of strange day it's been for me and Roy…what about you guys? What kind of runs have you been on?"

After swallowing a mouthful of pie, Hank sighed softly.  
"Well, I can probably assure you that it hasn't been quite the same crazy day for us as it's been for you two, but close. One fire we went to was a result of a 74 year old man smoking marijuana in his house."

"What happened?" Roy asked curiously.

"Apparently he'd been smoking the stuff for years. He decided to unwind for a nap, but when he thought he heard his dog talking to him, he got up to take the dog outside. Thinking that he had put out the…"

"Joint?" Chet offered.

Giving the curly-haired firefighter a smirk, Hank nodded his head slightly.  
"The joint…out in his ashtray, he went out back to put his dog out and that's when he realized that there was a fire inside. Apparently the joint fell out of the ashtray and onto his couch. He didn't get hurt, as he was outside, but his living room can't say the same thing."

"Cap, don't forget about the other fire we went to…the one where the lady's wig caught on fire."

"Yeah…that was another strange one, Chet."

Looking at his captain incredulously, Johnny asked the big question. "She wasn't WEARING the wig, was she, Cap?"

"Well, when it initially caught on fire, it was on her head. She took it off, and in a panic threw it on the floor in her bathroom…the curtains caught on fire. The bathroom was a bit of a mess, but like the 74 year old marijuana smoker…she was fine, too."

"So you're not mad at me, Cap…you know, for making fish and not telling you right away what it was?"

"No, Mike…I'm not mad. I guess made the way you made it, it's not bad…but none of you twits better get the bright idea of pulling this stunt again…or it'll be latrine duty for six months…and hanging hose EVERY shift by yourself."

"Well, my duty in the kitchen is done. I think I'll retire to the locker room…there are some more dance moves that I wanna try out."

Excusing himself, Mike got up and went to the locker room.

Clearing the table, Johnny offered to help Chet with the dishes.  
"I'll help you, Chet. You wash…I'll dry, and we can talk about basketball strategy while we're working."


	3. Chapter 3

"Johnny, I'll go work on the log book."

Waving to his partner, Johnny acknowledged Roy with a nod, but didn't respond verbally.

Nodding his own head, Roy repeated to himself. "Yeah, I'll go work on the logbook."

Once Captain Stanley and Roy had left the room, Marco sat down on the couch to watch some TV.  
Turning it on, he went through the channels until he came to a baseball game.

"Hey that game that started at noon is still on. The Dodgers and Cubs are tied 13-13 in the 23rd inning."

Turning around, Johnny tried to see the television from where he was standing.  
"Wow. I guess even the ballplayers are having a freaky day. I mean to be tied 13-13 in the 23rd…"

Meanwhile in the locker room the strains of samba music could be heard.

Nodding in the direction of where the music was coming from, Chet chuckled. "He's at it again. I gotta say, I've never seen Mike like this before. It is a little bazaar, don't ya think?"

"Well…it's been a bit of a bazaar day, Chet. On days like today…anything is possible."

"I guess you're right, Johnny."

A rare break in the action saw no calls come in for almost two hours. The dishes were cleaned and put away…the logbook was updated…and Cap's paperwork was almost finished.

As Johnny continued his part in the freaky day, he was winning in that evening's card game.

"This is really quite unbelievable…John, pal…you hardly ever win at cards. You'll probably go to sleep tonight, and when you wake up…it'll all be just a dream," Hank suggested, too tired to think of any other explanations.

"Thanks for the support, Cap," John said sarcastically, his excitement at winning temporarily dampened.

In the middle of the card game, the alarms once again sounded.  
"Squad 51…woman trapped…552 Oakmont Drive…cross street Dodson Boulevard…"

Getting up out of their chairs, the two paramedics rushed out to their squad, while Captain Stanley followed them to man the radio.  
"Squad 51 responding, KMG-365."

Handing the call slip to Roy, Hank watched as his two medics pulled out of the bay.

Arriving on scene they were met by a boy who appeared to be in his early teens.

Smiling at the young man, Roy asked him what the problem was.  
"Hi there. We got a call…there's a woman trapped here?"

"Yeah…it's my sister, Katy. Come on, I'll show you."

Looking suspiciously at the boy, Johnny put his hand on the boy's shoulder.  
"What's your name?"

"I'm Casey…Casey McGrath. Katy's my older sister."

"Wait a minute…what seems to be the problem?"

"You'll see…come on."

Exchanging a look between them, Roy and Johnny gathered their equipment and followed the boy into the house.  
As soon as they set foot inside, a loud voice bellowed out from upstairs.

"Casey…that BETTER be help, or you're a dead man."

Letting out a small smirk, Johnny looked at Casey.  
"I gather that's your sister…what did you do to her?"

Casey continued to stand there, but didn't say anything, only smiled.

"I know…'you'll see'," Johnny repeated.

Making their way up the stairs, the three of them walked to where Katy, an attractive young lady who looked to be about 18, was waiting impatiently, on her bed in her room.

Seeing her hands resting on her lap, Roy wondered what the problem was.

"Katy?"

"Yeah, that would be me. Could you fellas please help me?"

"Sure, if we knew what the problem was," Johnny replied.

"No problem," came Katy’s dry response.  
Lifting up her hands, it became obvious what had happened. She had her two index fingers stuck in what was called a Chinese torture finger trap.  
"It's this. My dear sweet little brother Casey, made me put my fingers in here…I thought it was a game, so I did it. But the little monster didn't tell me that he put some kind of fast drying glue in here. My fingers are completely stuck."

"Okay, let's give it a look." Observing her trapped fingers for a moment, Roy thought about their options.

"So…can you get me out of this thing? I have a date in an hour."

"We'll try."

They asked Casey to bring the glue that he had used, to them, so they could see what it was and how to go about freeing Katy's trapped fingers.

"Alright, Casey…you're off the hook."

"It's not serious?" Katy asked a little nervously.

Shaking his head, Johnny smiled. "No, not at all…a little of this stuff…and you should be just fine."

Using the antidote, Roy was able to get the "finger trap" off in a few minutes.

Once her two fingers were free, Katy exhaled loudly, and flexed her fingers.

"How does that feel?" Roy asked the young woman.

"Terrific…what a relief. Thank you, I really appreciate you guys helping me."

"No problem…that's what we're here for. You two take it easy." As Johnny started to pick up the case that they were working from, he added, "Casey…lay off the glue for a while, okay?"

Walking out of the house, Johnny turned around and looked behind him.  
"Another Chet Kelly in training."

"Yeah," Roy replied with a soft laugh.

After putting their equipment away, they got back into the squad.  
"You know, Roy…this has been one strange day…just freaky…plain and simple."

As they were pulling away from the curb, Johnny got on the radio and made them available.

When they returned to the station, the guys were scattered about the room.  
Marco was at the table looking at a cook book…Chet was playing solitaire…Hank was in a chair reading the newspaper…and Mike was on the couch watching a rerun of American Bandstand, seemingly getting more ideas for new dance moves.

Looking up from the paper, Hank saw Johnny muttering to himself, so he figured it must have been another strange call.  
"What was your woman trapped call?"

"Would you believe, one of those Chinese finger thingys. Her younger brother put some kind of crazy glue in it."

Hearing that, Chet let out a snicker. "Gee, it sounds like something I did once to my older sister Shannon. Boy, was she pissed at me."

"You know, it's funny Chet…you're the first person I thought of as Roy and I were leaving there."

After one more call, a minor car accident, in which a man was attempting to drive his car blindfolded, the rest of the evening was quiet. With his crew finally settling down, Hank decided it was the perfect time for everyone to head for bed.  
"Ten o'clock, fellas…we should probably all get ready to hit the hay. Lights out in ten minutes."

Getting up, they all made their way to the locker room to wash up before bed, and also to start getting their turnouts set up beside their beds.

Sighing loudly as he started to take off his shirt, Johnny said to no one in particular, "I'll be glad to wake up and have the calendar say Saturday…today was just too much."

As everyone climbed into bed, the soft strains of The Blue Danube Waltz could be heard coming from the locker room.

"Mike…I think you forgot to do something."

"Oops, sorry Cap. I was taking one last spin around the dance floor before I turned in…I'll go shut it off."

"Thank you," Hank replied with a smile to his voice.

The men of 51's had all fallen into a deep slumber when the alarms sounded just after midnight.  
"Station 51…Station 110…Engine 39…Battalion 14…Squad 36…structure fire…Garden Grove Apartment Complex…Thompson Boulevard…cross street Ashcroft…time out 00:15…"

Quickly jumping out of bed and putting on their gear, it became obvious to everyone that the "freaky" day was over…THIS was a big one.

Arriving on scene at the fire, Hank was grateful that he was nowhere near being the first captain on scene, assuring him that he'd only be following orders, not giving them.

The large apartment complex was on fire, flames shooting out several windows, and smoke billowing up to the dark sky.

Getting their orders from the battalion chief on scene, 51's crew set about preparing to attack the fire. Roy and Johnny were sent in to help evacuate the many residents of the building.

The fire had been a bad one, but after five long hard hours, the fire was out and the crews were now on clean up.

Returning to the scene after dropping off two more victims at Rampart, the two paramedics took a few moments to look at the demolished building.  
"Those people were lucky, Roy…no one died. It could have been a lot worse."

"Yeah, I know," Roy said somberly.

When 6:30 AM rolled around, 51's crew was finally released from the scene.

At 6:50 AM, six dirty and exhausted firefighters returned to quarters.  
"Chet…make the coffee."

"But, Cap…why do I have to make the coffee? Why can't Gage make the coffee? Or even Marco? Everyone always talks about how great Marco's coffee is…let him make the coffee."

"That wasn't a suggestion, Kelly…" Hank replied sharply.

"Okay…I'm going."

"Man…I am so tired, even my eye lashes hurt," Johnny said, as he was rubbing his eyes.

"You know, that was one of the worst fires that I was at in a really long time."

"I hear that, Cap. Hey, Stoke…why don't ya put some tunes on…I for one could use a bit of a pick me up."

Mike shook his head tiredly. "Sorry, Johnny…my dancing days are behind me."

"Behind you? But…but…you were really into that. What happened to taking lessons and all?"

"I don't know…it was like there was some kind of magic spell over me or something. Right now, all I wanna do is take a hot shower and then curl up with a good book."

The others all looked at each other with a strange look. This certainly wasn't the same Mike Stoker who was, only yesterday, a combination of Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, and John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever, all rolled up into one.

Slowly, the clock ticked to 8 AM…they were officially off shift.

Remembering to get his check from Captain Stanley's locked desk drawer, Johnny proceeded out to his Rover.

Waiting for him at his car, was his good friend, Officer Murphy Greenbush.

"Hey Murph…what are you doing here?" Johnny asked his friend curiously.

"I…I have to ask you, Johnny…you didn't cash that check from your friend Brett, yet…did you?" A hesitant Murphy inquired.

"No…but how did you know about the check? And how do you Brett? I never mentioned him to you."

"Well…you remember a few weeks ago, I went to a seminar in Florida?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, a few of the guys and I went to a bar. Your friend Brett happened to be on the next barstool from me. We got to talking and we realized that we both knew you…any way…he's a big jokester…"

"Ahh…Murph…don't tell me…the check…it's a phony."

"Yeah…the two of us were half drunk at the time…it was funny when we talked about doing it. Anyway, that code on the bottom of the check…"

Taking the check out of his wallet, Johnny was able to see the four small numbers on the bottom of the check…4321.

"And what does that mean?"

"It's a bank/police code for bad or false check. I'm really sorry, Johnny. How about if I make it up to you by taking you out for breakfast?"

"I lose all of this money…and you think breakfast will make up for it?"

"Yeah?" Murphy answered, a big grin on his face. “Although in actuality, Johnny…you never really had ALL this money.”

Johnny groaned before answering.  
"Okay…be prepared to pay, Murph…A LOT."

########################

Returning home, Hank was so excited to know that later in the day when he went out for a walk, he'd be able to wear his old favorite pair of shoes…the pair that had been missing for months, but found the morning before, when they suddenly and mysteriously reappeared.  
The house was empty. A note lay on the kitchen table.

Dear Hank,  
Hope you had a good shift. The kids went to some friends' house straight from school yesterday, and will be there all weekend. I decided a short trip to San Diego to visit my sister would be nice. I left after the kids got off to school. I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to call you…but things just happened real quick. I'll talk to you later.  
Love, Suzanne

So…he was home alone. His feet were sore and achy from battling the early morning fire. He looked forward to putting on his old comfortable shoes later.

Heading up to the bedroom, Hank opened up the closet door…the shoes…gone.

#######################

Having had a close call at the fire, Marco felt compelled to pray, convinced that it was his grandmother's rosary beads that had saved him.

When he returned home to his apartment, the very first thing he did was to go to his bedroom and get his rosary beads.

Looking quickly on his dresser, he didn't see them. Searching high and low for them…he just couldn't seem to find them.

############################

When Chet returned home, he was so excited at the thought of spending the evening with his beautiful new neighbor.

Putting the key into his door, he turned his head when he heard voices out in the hallway…there she was…that evening's date, with another man…

Approaching the worn out firefighter, she smiled apologetically.  
"I am so sorry, Chet…but I'm going to have to cancel tonight. This is Steve…my boyfriend. He came all the way here from Texas…he proposed to me last night."

##############################

And as for Roy, things quickly returned to normal for him, too.  
Greeted by his mother-in-law, the same woman who apologized to him the morning before, even telling him how wonderful he really was, Roy could sense that she was no longer THAT same woman.

"Roy…what are we going to do with you. Ryan, my OTHER son-in-law…he just got a big promotion, and a HUGE raise. Why couldn't you be more like HIM. Eileen has Ryan…and Joanne has YOU…"

Standing shocked at his mother-in-law's complete turnaround, Roy could only chalk it up to one thing…FREAKY FRIDAY.

THE END


End file.
